Eponine
by Mangajuicexd
Summary: my prequel about Eponine. This is how I see her life in the early scale of her years, I intend this to be a prequel of her story. From her sheltered life in Montfermeil to the life of poverty in st. Michael, Paris. I wanted to write about her downfall, but at the same time, the bright candle that burns through her character.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Mostly this fiction is inspired more by the musical than the book. So, I decided to put it under the "plays" section of Les Mis. I hope I could reach a good number of audience interested to read a story such as this. How I write the characters in here is my own interpretation. Although, I still hope I stay true to their original characteristics. Eponine is obviously my favorite character. Her story is tragic but then again… life offers us both a mixture of light and dark and I wish that I could write about Eponine's ups and downs… Be warned that I could tweak the story a little to my liking. I hope you could enjoy it as well.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LES MISERABLES**

**XXX**

**CHAPTER 1: EPONINE IN A LITTLE BLUE HAT**

During her early years, Eponine Thenardier would hum to herself as she combed her doll's beautiful red-brown locks. The doll was made out of porcelain, and its skin: smooth and milky to the little girl's touch... wherein the little girl would love to caress over and over. She would stare dreamingly at the doll's unbelievably huge eyes. She (the doll) had hazel, and so did Eponine. Everyone told her how beautiful the doll was... "Must be expensive" they'll all comment. Eponine would smile proudly, "My Mama and Papa got it for me."

And yes, so the little girl thought, she would always get what she asked for.

Her mama would always dress her in ribbons, frills and ruffles. In fact, she would look like her doll. Her mother would boast her as "Eponine the little doll of France" or so she thought.

Mme. Thenardier was a vain woman. Their neighbors would shower her with compliments as she would walk down the street. Eponine, her daughter, was named vainly after one of the heroines of Mme. Thenardier's tragic romances.

Eponine would love to copy her mother's style, regardless it looked hideous or not for a mature audience. Her mother's big and multitude arrangement of assorted ribbons in her wild nest of red hair went into her liking. Mme. Thenardier's appearance was what people call eccentric, but little Eponine thought otherwise.

M. Thenardier runs his inn in a colorful manner. Little Eponine would laugh occasionally with his theatric antics. The way he treats the customers of his inn- clever! At the end of the day, he would let the little girl sit on his lap as he would tell the stories of his success: how such a simple deception would earn them a month's worth of wealth. Eponine would giggle at her father's adventures and misadventures while her mother would sort the things people have "left" at their inn.

"Finders... Keepers, my dear Eponine" M. Thenardier would stress to her. It was the right thing to do, Eponine thought, if it meant money then how can it be wrong?

The doll that now nested in Eponine's arms was just given to her by her father a few nights ago. It had no name at first, but then the little girl decided to call it Nina...

"My dear Eponine, you were supposed to be named Eponina, but I guess your father wanted it to sound better..." her mother would explain to her sometimes when she had nothing to do at night but tuck the little girl to bed.

Eponine rarely got tucked at night, it was one of the nights wherein she knew her mama and papa would have a little disagreement, but they will get along again in the morning.

Things would be well, things would get better... Even when she saw a red mark on her mother's cheek... She knows where it came from... But it will be gone.

"Sleep now my little Eponine..." her mother would tell her

"Tell me a bedtime story mama," the little girl demanded happily "Tell me stories of princesses in nice ball gowns and princes that slay dragons!"

"Getting very excited, aren't you Eponine?" her mother said with slight annoyance that the little girl wouldn't let her go. Seeing her daughter's eager face, Mme. Thenardier sighed. One night of giving in wouldn't hurt, besides, she wasn't eager to see M. Thenardier. "Alright," she started "Just this once..."

The little girl would smile.

"Once... There was a beautiful princess with a little blue hat... Her name is Eponina... Her blue hat was beautiful that it made everyone envious... The blue hat itself was magical..."

As her mother continued telling her a story... Eponine's mind began to wander. The blue hat in the story appears to be enchanted... What wishes does her little heart hold? Perhaps have a little brother or sister that she could play with or maybe travel around the world... She mused to herself that when she turns into a young lady, she would wear beautiful dresses and then a young handsome man would meet her and eventually fall in love... Then just like in fairytales and bedtime stories... They get married and lived happily ever after.

Maybe that would be the fate of Eponine Thenardier, the girl in a little blue hat.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I want Eponine to have a love for music… Poor girl. By the way, I might borrow some songs from other musicals, there might be some songs that could fit a particular scene and I envisioned that this story could be sung through… oh! My head filled with musical notes. Bad! However, sorry if I have some grammar mistakes, I know I have many…**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LES MISERABLES**

**XXX**

**CHAPTER 2: THE LADY ALL IN WHITE**

By the inn at Montfermeil, there lived an inn keeper named M. Thenardier and his wife. The couple was known throughout town as cons and clever swindlers. Whatever bad reputation they got, publicity, whether good or bad is still publicity. Thenardier's inn is still a highly popular place among travelers, drunks and whores.

At times, M. Thenardier and his wife would appear as a saintly couple. Whether they did good or bad, nobody wasn't absolutely sure... Just, a cold winter night, a devastated Fantine carried her little daughter in her arms.

"I'll do anything you'd ask," the woman pleaded by M. Thenardier and his wife. "Just let my child stay here... She needs a place to stay in this cold, cold night..."

"And what would you give?" Mme. Thenardier would snarl at the woman, whose tears were enough to clean the innkeeper's wife's feet.

"Anything!" the woman cried in despair "just please accommodate my daughter here, just keep her warm and fed... Just give me time an' I'll pay you ten francs for my poor Cosette!"

"Ten francs you say? Where on earth could you get ten francs?" Mme. Thenardier would ask the crying Fantine all curled up in the floor.

When the woman did not speak, the mistress of the inn gave a sigh... "You are wasting your time y'know? Money is a hard thing to come by these days... If you ain't got money, you ain't getting any charity."

Fantine looked into the eyes of Mme. Thenardier. The funny thing is, that Fantine's tear stained bare face looked more beautiful than the Thenardier, whose face was outrageously powdered up and whose lips bled by biting too much.

Eponine watched the whole exchange without her parents' knowledge. It was indeed a cold winter night and in her innocent little heart, she knew that people should really stay inside.

A little girl stared at her across the room. The little girl was pale, her hair golden as the sun and her eyes blue as the clear sky. Her clothes looked dull and plain, which contrasted little Eponine's frilly floral prints. She looked cold and weak, but with a determination to live.

The two little girls exchanged glances. Each wondering what kind of life the other one had.

Cosette, the little blonde girl gave a small smile which might mean _'Hello, nice to meet you, my name is Cosette'_. The little brunette girl across the room was about to do the same thing when M. Thenardier's voice roared in the room:

"EPONINE!"

Eponine's heart raced. Her father knows that she is there listening to things she isn't supposed to listen.

"Up to your room little mademoiselle, or else..." Mme. Thenardier said in a gentle but threatening voice. The little girl with red-brown hair left for her room immediately without looking back at the girl, who's clear blue eyes followed her until she disappeared.

**XXX**

When Eponine reached her room, she did what she always did: play with Nina. Her thoughts drifted to the little blonde girl... _'Does she have her own doll? Does she name it and play with it like the way I do?'_

Her musings were broken when her mother entered the room... "Eponine my dear, vacate your toys and dresses from the storage room, we have a very special guest, and she'd be staying there... That little girl with shabby clothing, she is the one who'll stay over... Do you understand?"

"Mama, isn't the room small and cramped? She could share my bed if she wants to..."

"No!" Mme. Thenardier exclaimed "Girls like you could never associate with girls like her! Am I clear Eponine?"

The little girl nodded

"That's my good girl" Mme. Thenardier smiled as she placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Just get ready for bed; you could fix your clothes tomorrow,"

"But," Eponine wanted to protest but she was afraid that her mother might reprimand her. She thought about where the poor girl would sleep tonight.

She expected her mother to tuck her to bed, but it seemed that her mama is tired and after she gave a kiss and bade goodnight, she didn't even looked twice at Eponine who wanted to be tucked in her bed.

**XXX**

A few hours after, in a small warm bed, Eponine shifted rather violently under her covers. A scary monster seemed to have chased her that night...

"Mama!"

Her little voice squeaked in the dark room. Later, the little girl was already at her feet, her eyes full of tears crying for her mother. Her little form gently slipped out of her room in search for her mother. As she tries to navigate her way through, she hears a low melodious hum by the kitchen, it soon turned out that it belonged to the woman and her child.

Fantine cradles Cosette in a place near the stove, the warmest place in the room. She sang to her little girl as she stroked her hair.

_"So look with your heart and not with your eyes  
The heart understands, the heart never lies  
Believe what it feels and trust what it shows  
Look with your heart the heart always knows"_

Fantine sang in low, but beautiful voice. Cosette would hum along as if the song was sung to her a thousand times.

"I love you my dear Cosette," Fantine would whisper to her daughter. "Someday, you'd find people who will love you, be good and they will love you back,"

"But I don't want anyone else, I only want you mama! Don't leave me here! It's scary!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Cosette... My poor Cosette, I need to work. One day we'll leave this place and live in a castle on the cloud..."

The little girl's face lit up. "Really, you think so? That we would live in a castle on a cloud?"

"Yes my dear, but we must be patient; a time would come that we would be together. My Cosette, my Cosette I'll be back soon... When you see me as a lady all in white, we would live in a castle on a cloud... Hush now and sleep, my dear Cosette..."

Eponine watched Fantine kiss her child, caressing her blonde hair over and over... Slowly tears formed by the woman's eyes. Eponine would describe her tears like gentle rain falling on golden ground. Eponine decided to leave them and continue to search for her mother... Her thoughts, wandering if her mother could sing her a beautiful lullaby...

She soon found her mother by the inn's "tavern". The place was noisy and unfit for a child her age. The whole den was filled with drunken people and women with outrageous make-up. She spotted her mother sitting beside a man unfamiliar to her. She watched as her mother's hand reached the man's breast pocket to pick up a folded bill and then stuffed the stolen money between her breasts.

She called for her mother over and over again, but the woman seemed to not hear her. The room was so noisy and smoky; tears were starting to well up her eyes. She never knew that such wild things could happen at night... Everything, so new, so scary, she remembered the monsters in her dreams... So scary for a little girl of four nearing five!

Little Eponine started to sob. She wanted her mama to cuddle her right now. She saw how the woman in the kitchen sings her daughter to sleep; she wanted her mama to do the same. "Mama... Mama..." she started to call between her cries.

"And who is this little girl cryin'?" a drunk man by the table suddenly blurted out and then everyone stopped at the little girl in her frilly night gown.

"Eponine," Her father said as he picked her up from the floor. "What are you doing here?"

Her father smelled bad, and Eponine could not figure out where the smell came from. His face was red, very red from intoxication. When Mme. Thenardier saw her daughter in her drunken husband's arms, she quickly grabbed Eponine away from him.

"Don't you ever hold your daughter in that state! Oh look at you! You are such a mess..." Mme. Thenardier scolded her husband. The whole room roared with laughter.

"Look who is being a good parent," one person in the room remarked.

"Shut up Claude!" the woman with hilarious make-up said in a high pitched voice. "The little mademoiselle is cute like a doll!"

"My little Eponine is my doll..." Mme. Thenardier said as she tried to wipe her daughter's tears. "Now, hush my little Eponina... What is troubling you? Didn't your father and I tell you to never leave your room at night?"

"I'm sorry... I can't sleep... There were monsters chasin' me..."

"Aww... Monsters chasin' my little Eponine," M. Thenardier said "My little girl just had a nightmare!"

The whole room of drunks, whores and desolates laughed as if little Eponine's nightmare was a joke.

"That's enough," Mme. Thenardier told her husband who is still amused with the joke he came up with. She carried her daughter close "Your daughter monsieur, is terrified, how could you be so heartless?"

"One day she'd learn my dear," her husband replied "One day she'll learn that there are more monsters out there... In the streets outside her room... And that evil takes form in people like us."

"Enough!"

"Come on my dear, you know what I am saying is true. Eponine would later face these evils outside, especially with a cute face like hers..."

"You are out of your mind monsieur!" She slapped her husband which created more laughter in the room "Come Eponine, let's go and wait for the morning till your father gets his sanity back."

Mme. Thenardier then carried her frightened daughter to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait… this story is just an experiment, so it is full of character sketches… haha I wish I could get the hang of writing each character and put more depth and revelation in the next chapters… I have to confess though, I love writing Mme. Thenardier as snotty woman who is so materialistic. She sees her daughter as a doll that'll never get old.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LES MISERABLES**

**XXX**

**CHAPTER 3: COSETTE BY THE CINDERS**

Eponine held her doll, Nina, close to her. She still holds it like it was the most beautiful and precious thing for her. The winters pass and the little girl called Cosette stayed, or lived rather, in the cramped storage room together with the brooms and mops.

Cosette had stayed with the Thenardiers for a long time now. During the first few months, her mother, is still able to keep up sending ten francs a month to Mme. Thenardier, who critically accounted the money from time to time. As evil it seemed the money Fantine sent never went to her daughter. Poor Cosette would usually starve herself curled up under thin blankets inside her "room". Cosette never dared to stay by the kitchen...

There was once a story wherein she attempted to keep warm by the kitchen's cinders. Her mother once told her that if she ever felt cold, she must keep warm by the kitchen. However, when Mme. Thenardier saw her, she shooed the poor girl away, saying that 'she'll _spoil the food rotten_.' The next day, a red mark was seen on Cosette's little arm, people just assumed that Mme. Thenardier maltreated the poor girl again, but then no one made a sound of it. Poor Cosette! Nobody stood up for her.

The months progressed; life in France got worse day by day. People who lived an honest way, soon felt the change... The Thenardiers, however, felt a change when their patron's pockets emptied faster than the first glass of wine.

M. and Mme. Thenardier never knew what it meant to be thrifty. They spent extravagantly on their vices every night. Even spoiling Eponine had become their guilty pleasure!

Sometimes, Cosette would look longingly at the beautiful dresses Eponine wore. The blonde girl dreams in her head when she could wear ribbons, frills and flowers just like the girl with red-brown hair... Oh! Sometimes she wished that she could touch her (Eponine's) doll's smooth skin... How good it must feel to her little rough and chill bin fingertips.

"Oh? Look at who is dreaming here... The little mademoiselle...?" Mme. Thenardier suddenly appeared from nowhere. Cosette felt terrified of the woman with "_big hair_" and whose hands kept on staying at her hips. The little girl clutched tighter to the broom she held... Whenever Mme. Thenardier saw her '_slacking_', little Cosette would always be in trouble.

"Never let me catch you slacking!" Mme. Thenardier roared "Sweep the room as fast as you can! You still have the upstairs to sweep!"

"Yes Madame..." the little girl said weakly.

"When you reach upstairs Cosette, don't you dare lay your dirty hands on our things." Mme. Thenardier added then raised an eyebrow "Especially not Eponine's things! Are we clear?"

**XXX**

There are two kinds of people in this world, Eponine was taught: masters and servants. Masters never associate with people with lower stature than them. As Eponine observed her surroundings, she came to the conclusion that her family belonged to the "_masters_" class in society. Although, initially, she felt pity for the blonde girl Cosette, she and the girl's mother are classified as "_servants_" in France's social hierarchy. Her mother, in the other hand calls them differently from time to time depending on her mood. Once, she'll call them "_urchins_", "_scums_" or "_rats_".

Later on, Eponine didn't pity her. People like her should do housework, people like her are supposed to eat after her "masters" have eaten, people like her aren't supposed to own things or enjoy things. This pattern of thought is instilled into little Eponine's innocent mind.

At first, Eponine ignored Cosette, still unsure of how to treat her, but when she watched her mother mistreat the little girl around, Eponine Thenardier also did the same thing, much to Mme. Thenardier's delight.

"Fix the clutter of toys in my room when you are done sweeping." she told Cosette when she saw the little girl upstairs. Eight year old children are supposed to play and not to boss one around. Cosette always kept her head down whenever she encountered the Thenardier's daughter. Her mother once told her that she could befriend this girl... _But why can't she?_

"Don't touch Nina," Eponine added "If I see you get your dirty hands on Nina... I'll..." but she was cut off when she heard her mother call her from the bottom of the stairs.

"What took you so long?" Mme. Thenardier scolded her daughter the second the little girl reached the stair's bottom last step.

"I asked Cosette to tidy up my room." she answered.

Mme. Thenardier pinched her daughter's dimpled cheeks with affection. "Ooh... My little girl tidies up her room, Eponine my dear, there is a seamstress waiting, and you'll soon get your beautiful dress on your birthday..."

"But my birthday is next month... It's too far away!"

"Oh well, we'll tell the seamstress to do it faster..."

"Really!? Would my dress this time be as pink as Nina's?" Eponine's dark hazel eyes glittered with anticipation, to which her mother pursed her lips and said

"Anything you like my dear."

**XXX**

Cosette never complained much, in fact, the girl always kept silent. Whenever she tried to open her mouth, Mme. Thenardier would always be there to scold her. Why couldn't the madam like her? She wanted to play with the little girl with red-brown hair... What's her name? Oh yes, it was Eponine.

Eponine, that little girl looked like a doll. Cosette looked around Eponine's room as she swept. There were toys everywhere! Oh! How she wishes she could play with them all.

On a small table stood the most beautiful thing ever: Nina standing beautifully by her doll stand, as if asking the little Cosette to come play with her. Nina had dark hair and hazel eyes like her owner. Nina had cute pink blushes on her rounded cheeks... Nina wore a puffy pink gown adorned with ribbons and roses, each with different shades of red, pink and cream. Cosette stood in front of the doll, _could she touch her?_ The blonde girl had forgotten her warnings.

As Cosette wondered how it was like to touch Nina, a strong gust of morning chill made its way across the room and knocked the doll from its stand. Cosette stood terrified. The doll is at her feet with a tiny crack seemingly to form by its small hairline.

The blonde girl let out a gasp and then quickly smoothen the doll's form. When Cosette held the doll the first time, her suspicions has been right.

The little girl smiled as she looked lovingly at the doll pretending it was hers for a moment...

"THAT'S MINE!" Eponine Thenardier screamed by her room's doorway.

Cosette's heart leapt at the sight of her. Causing Nina to fall to the floor, its crack in the head is getting noticeable.

"Nina!" Eponine cried as she picked her doll from the floor, the darkness of that etched the porcelain doll's forehead didn't go noticed by the little Thenardier.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Eponine cried as she smoothen her doll's disarrayed red-brown hair "YOU DESTROYED HER!"

"I did not do anything!" the other girl's voice squeaked trying hard not to cry in fear "the wind blew and it knocked Nina out-"

"You lie!" Eponine lunged forward and pushed the thin frail girl. "You destroyed Nina because you want her to be yours...!" then she covered the girl with little punches her little fists can do. "My mother is right about the likes of you! I should have never trusted you!"

Both girls cried, one in anger and the other one terror. When the noise got pretty loud Mme. Thenardier stormed inside the room to see what was causing the ruckus. When Eponine told her _her side_ of the story, Mme. Thenardier grabbed Cosette by the arm and dragged her towards the dark, damp basement filled with rats and vermin.

Cosette cried and begged for somebody to get her out. Her small fists knocking the thick wooden door: her only gate way to the outside world. Sadly, nobody had the heart to help her out.

**XXX**

Fantine looked at her empty palm as she made her way towards the Thenardier's inn at Montfermeil. Usually at the time of this month, 10 francs should have been jingling inside her pocket, just 10 francs to save her poor Cosette.

_Cosette, how are you?_

_Cosette, have you eaten?_

_Cosette, have you befriended the little girl at the inn?_

_Cosette, my dear Cosette, how much I miss you..._

Fantine's mind had been wandering for some time now, what could she say to the Thenardier's? She must keep her word or else her daughter would go hungry.

_What can I do now I've lost the thing that kept her alive? My Cosette!_

A slight knock at the inn and the door was opened to her fast. Mme. Thenardier smiled at the younger woman with a hint of malice.

"Dear Fantine, what a surprise! Cosette has been hungry, yes she is! She has been expecting you; she has eaten a lot, which is to be expected of growing girls her age... But, as you can see, food is getting a bit more expensive lately."

Fantine continued to stare, unsure of the right words to say... What if?

"I am thankful for your kindness Madame, but before I give you what is due, may I ask permission to see my daughter?"

"Just show me what you got Fantine!" the older woman started to grow impatient.

"I am sorry but I could not show you anything..."

"That is just 10 francs Fantine, just ten. Is that too much to ask?" Mme. Thenardier raised an eyebrow. "Other people would have asked you more than ten. Consider me a saint Fantine."

"I know that very well Madame..." Fantine paused as if racking her mind of what to say. She must see Cosette, she must see her daughter. "When I'm back I'll pay you double! And the debt I owe you now, I'll pay it separately."

"And where can you get that much money? You work at the factory no more..."

"... A rich old woman hired me... yes she did! The pay is double than that of the factory!" Fantine lied. "She says I'd do her laundry and sweep her house clean..."

Mme. Thenardier thought for a moment as if trying to weigh her odds. _Double the price, eh?_ She finally let Fantine see her daughter.

**XXX**

"Wear these!" she ordered Cosette when she let the poor girl out of the basement. She tossed Cosette one of her daughter's plain but decent clothes. Cosette looked at the woman mournfully, her eyes red and the skin on her face, tight, with dried tears.

"Why that face?" the woman berated "get rid of that face, your mother is here to see you. It'd be such a shame if she saw you like that... You better behave yourself Cosette, one word to your mother and you know what is gonna happen. Tell her you are well and fed, that'll save your mother's aching heart," Mme. Thenardier warned the little girl before she let her off to see her mother.

**XXX**

Eponine is always a silent witness whenever she saw Cosette run into the arms of her mother. She always wondered if people like them are capable of '_feelings_'. That night as always, just like their previous nights before, the pair huddled in a place near fire and light, away from the chaos of the inn's tavern. At night, the mother cradles her daughter in a way the little Eponine wished to be held.

"_Love is a curious thing, _

_It often comes disguised_

_Look at love the way_

_It goes un-recognized"_

Fantine sang her daughter one of her songs over and over... A song which Eponine had heard over and over during the nights she felt alone in her room. Ever since the incident years ago, she never dared to set foot again at the tavern. She knew her mama and papa are there, drunk and unable to care for her.

_"Love is not always beautiful, _

_Not at the start,__  
so look with your heart and close your eyes tight,  
Look with your heart and when it finds love, _

_Your heart will be right..."_

Eponine Thenardier is the girl who could get anything she wishes, but remains ignored. If only little Eponine could understand her actions towards Cosette during the day, it must probably because she wanted to be like her mother and then her mother would always love her forever.

In the dark, away from those people who merry make, away from the mother who holds her daughter close by the cinders, Eponine hums herself to sleep...

_"The heart can't be fooled  
the heart is too wise... "_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I always saw Eponine wanting for company. I hate it when she feels so alone and unloved. Her parents… did they love her really? I think they are way materialistic. A new character is introduced here… dun… dun… dun… read and find out! Anyways, sorry if the pacing of the story is a bit slow… maybe some of you wanted to see Marius and are getting impatient... D:**

**XXX**

**CHAPTER 4: Turning**

For almost half a year, Fantine hadn't visited Cosette. Almost everyone was thinking that she had finally given up her daughter to the care of the Thenardiers. The word is spreading that Mme. Thenardier is with child, the said woman is irritable; but not because of the said reason. Fantine hasn't dropped by for the last six months; however, she did send 10 francs after month she was last seen by Cosette or Eponine. Truth be told, Fantine came by the night another 2 months more, giving 20 francs a month. Mme. Thenardier's smile covered from ear to ear... Double of last work's pay. There was one night, when Eponine played alone with Nina, she overheard her parents talking. Mme. Thenardier would now describe Fantine's new appearance as a "school-boy-whore". However, the next month and the next, Fantine did not appear... At first, Mme. Thenardier was hopeful, but then, as time went by, she stopped hoping. Mme. Thenardier was already considering throwing Cosette away.

As Cosette swept the house and watch Eponine play, her mind wanders on a castle on a cloud. She had a dream last night, her mother came to her with a face as radiant as the sun, her clothes all pristine white, her hair... Her long flowy hair however, wasn't seen. Cosette cried when she woke, she awoke begging her mother to bring her.

_"Crying at all is not allowed...  
Not in my castle on the cloud"_

"STILL THERE COSETTE?!" Mme. Thenardier's voice boomed.

Cosette snapped out from her daydream. She felt her hands tighten its grip on the broom; hands and feet, all red and cold from the chilling night of Christmas Eve. A while earlier, while scrubbing the wooden floors, Mme. Thenardier asked her to fetch a pail of water from the well in the wood.

"We should not have taken you in the first place, oh! The stupid things that we do! Like mother like daughter, the scum of the street!" Mme. Thenardier complained as the terrified Cosette tries to keep herself out of sight from the madam. "Ten rotten francs, she sends me, what's that gonna buy?"

"Mama!" little Eponine busted out from the inn's main door.

"Eponine!" Mme. Thenardier's expression shifted from a frown to a smile. She walked across the room, "Eponine, you look very well in that little blue hat". She cooed over her daughter, "here are some little girls who know how to behave and they know what to wear and I'm saying thank heaven for that."

Eponine never felt prouder, when she smiled, her dimpled cheeks always made an impression.

"Cosette!" Mme. Thenardier would scream again, "your tears would do me no good! I told you fetch some water from the well in the wood!"

"Please do not send me out alone," Cosette pleaded "not in the darkness on my own"

"Then show yer face!" Mme. Thenardier said irritably as she cornered Cosette "Or I'll forget to be nice, you heard me ask for something and I never asked twice..."

And then Eponine pushed the poor girl outside to the dark, cold Christmas Eve.

**XXX**

"Mama," little Eponine began, "the woman with long flowy hair did not come back, does that mean we would eventually adopt Cosette then she'll become my sister?"

A child's idea however silly it may seem, underlies a pure intent of kindness. It was clear that Eponine Thenardier had never hated Cosette. The little child thinks she has done the right thing whenever she pushes Cosette around. Since her mother had forbidden her to play with the servant girl, she might as well order the little girl around. Mme. Thenardier would never understand her daughter's logic.

"HEAVENS WHAT HAS GOT INTO YOUR HEAD, EPONINE!" her mother exclaimed. "And where, may I ask... You got an idea such as that? Didn't I tell you that girls like you never associate with girls like her?"

"Cosette's mama did not come back, so I think she is all alone now... The neighbor next door adopted a little girl so that my friend Marie would have a little sister..." Eponine protested.

"Aah!" Mme. Thenardier raised an eyebrow, "so you want a sister, eh?"

"Could we just have one?"

"Eponine my dear; why would you want to have a sister? If we had a younger baby here, you would get divided attention... Would you want that?"

"I just want somebody to be with me all the time, when you and papa work the inn at night, I feel scarred all alone... At least, if I had a brother or sister, I wouldn't be so alone!" demanded the little girl.

Mme. Thenardier stayed silent for some time. "There is no need to adopt, my Eponine... I'll tell you a secret, in a few months; you shall have a sibling,"

"Really?" Eponine's hazel eyes lit up like little candles in the dark.

Mme. Thenardier stared at her daughter's dimpled cheeks. By then, the rumors about Mme. Thenardier were proven true.

**XXX**

Little Eponine couldn't contain her excitement. She literally hopped in her room telling Nina that she'd have a playmate soon.

"If I had a little sister, I would lend her my small dresses an' put flowers in her hair... Or if I had a lit brother, we would play about slaying monsters!"

Then Eponine stopped for a moment...

"But then, if I would play about slayin' monsters... Wouldn't that make me so un-lady like?"

While Eponine ran through her thoughts, she heard people arguing downstairs, this argument seemed interesting enough for her to sneak out her room and watch her parents with Cosette and an unusual rich looking man with a top hat and a thick coat.

In the end, the argument has reached in some kind of conclusion. The man paid her parents a big sum of money. The Madame looked relieved of the fact that she finally got rid of the girl, M. Thenardier thought otherwise and used the little girl to gain more profit. What Eponine saw, poor Cosette was sold to her new master.

**XXX**

The next morning, when Eponine got out of her room, Cosette has already left the inn.

M. and Mme. Thenardier talked in hushed but agitated voices, a harsh start for a Christmas day. With Cosette gone, the little girl expected that her parents would spend more time with her. However, today was still the same, nothing changed, her parents still prefer to spend their new found money and ignored Eponine again.

That Christmas, Eponine received her new dress. It was pink and flowery as Nina's. When she wore it, she twirled around the room imagining about her bedtime stories being real. She played alone... Then she realized she missed having Cosette around, not that they really talked, but there was comfort knowing that there is another girl her age around the house.

This pink dress that she wore however, would be the last dress she'll ever receive.

**XXX**

During the midyear of the following year, a piercing scream was heard that night, Eponine wasn't able to sleep well that night, her once comfortable bed is reduced to a simple mattress: the inn, is in debt.

However, tonight was different for there would be a new addition to the family. Little Gavroche is born on thin sheets, and when Mme. Thenardier saw him, she decided that she would never care for a son. A daughter is enough, this son that she bore, held no special place in her heart. M. Thenardier, as always, never cared for his children, but as long as he could work them to his advantage, then it is enough.

Only Eponine, with her hazel eyes very much like her brother's, welcomed the new member with warmth. Eponine decided that she isn't a little girl anymore.

"Take 'im," Mme. Thenardier told the little girl "I need to rest."

The girl then carried her brother, who is nine years younger than her. She thought how beautiful he was. He had the same round dimpled cheeks like her, the same eyes, except that he had a cute button nose and had inherited their father's sandy blonde hair.

With her brother in her arms, she inhaled his sweet baby scent. He remained asleep then she sang in a low voice...

_"Nothing is gonna harm you,  
Not while I'm around,  
Nothing is gonna hurt you, darling...  
Not while I'm around."_

When she finished her lullaby, she placed her little brother in a make shift cradle. She had waited for his arrival, and was so glad he came. She never felt alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'M STARTING TO GET EXCITED, THIS CHAPTER WASN'T SUPPOSED TO POP OUT… I INTENDED FOR A TIME SKIP AND THEN Eponine would meet Marius then blah, blah… but Gavroche… sweet Gavroche steals my thoughts… and so this is the result. Ok, so I figured, my heroine is already transforming… read on and tell me what you think! I kinda need feedback so that I'll know if I'm on the right path okay? Thanks **

**XXX**

**CHAPTER 5: The rain of Paris**

Eponine shuts the windows of their home with the rain spilling violently as ever. Now a young girl of thirteen, Eponine must have blossomed into a beautiful young lady like most girls her age, but fate had been unkind to her.

Eponine's once flawless skin is now covered with bruises, small cuts and lacerations. Her once bright red-brown curls are now reduced to dark tangles. Her hazel eyes that once flickered with delight are now dulled with emptiness. Whatever body fat she had before had vanished. The once called Eponine Thenardier, the doll of Montfermeil, is now just simply referred as the Jondrette girl, the gamin of Paris' slums.

What happened?

Months after little Gavroche was born, the inn was bankrupt. Their patrons either died or went away; the corrupt economy of the country is now starting to show its effects. Although the shifting events of the country were made known a couple of years ago, the Thenardiers weren't wise enough to save for the rainy day. The inn keeper and his wife now blame society of their cruel fate; they are mostly stripped off the luxuries they once knew.

Like most people in France's country side, the Thenardier's moved out and tried to set foot on Paris, the country's capital, hoping that they could make a fortune. They had moved in with a few minorities of other people. M. Thenardier assumed a different name for the family: Jondrette.

Change had been so fast that Eponine, who used to be well fed and clothed, now knew starvation and pain. She had given up so much: her toys, her dresses and most of all: Nina.

_"We need more money to make it to good ol' Parie..." the head of the house stated. His dark steely eyes, searching among his family members, he thought, something must be sold._

_Eponine clutched her grip on Nina tighter; she wasn't willing to give up her only treasure so fast. She hopes that her father would not point out what the girl was hiding._

_"All of our possessions exhausted, there is nothing else to give!" Mme. Thenardier exclaimed._

_"Ahh... but I could still see a little ray of light," M. Thenardier smiled. One look on Eponine and the girl has received his message. The little girl of nine looked horrifically at her father. Could she give up Nina?_

_"No!" she screamed "I won't let you!"_

_"Cooperate young miss, y'know what's gonna happen" M. Thenardier suddenly took on grab the little girl's most treasured possession._

_Eponine held tightly on it, but began to lose her grip when her father kicked her at the stomach. Eponine began to cry violently in protest, though this wasn't the first time M. Thenardier hurt his daughter, ever since things went downhill, he could not put a blame on anyone, that was when he started to abuse his daughter he once pampered._

_Eponine tried to fight back once before. There was a time M. Thenardier beat her hard, she got hold of his arm and bit as hard as she could that it bled. M. Thenardier, pissed off by his daughter's reaction, locked her up in a room till she starved._

_All the hurts Eponine received, she tried to fight back, but whenever she did, she ended up hurting more than ever. Those nights isolated in a dark room, that growl she heard from her stomach, the bruises that started mapping her skin, the tears she cried in vain, the little girl has lost her innocence at last._

_Once, she pleaded her mother to stop her father from beating her at regular basis. Mme. Thenardier, though she hated it when her husband would abuse her little Eponine, she never made her stand and feared the patriarch. When Eponine begged for her to reason out to the monsieur, she gave her daughter a cold shoulder, she tells her that she wasn't cooperative enough, she wasn't good enough, and she deserved it. _

Now, four years later, living in the Gorbeau house, the Jondrettes lived a _dysfunctional_ life for the wealthy and a _normal_ life for the poor. The rain is pouring hard, cleansing the street of its impurities yet the water collected under its sewers, much like the dirt that still smeared on girl's face. "No money on the street today, hope father doesn't come what may, hope that father drowns in the river Seine," Eponine mused softly in her head.

"You'd be sorry if he'd hear ya'," a little voice squeaked in a little corner of the room, little Gavroche is turning five and is with a rich vocabulary, most of he knows is argot, the language of the streets. "But yer voice miss, is very beautiful."

Eponine raised an eyebrow. Ever since that woman named Fantine sang to her daughter, she took a liking for music. She decided that anyone could take anything away from her except her voice. Gavroche would always express his love for her voice; sometimes they would sing a duet to pass time.

"Silly 'vroche... My voice is no where stellar." Eponine smiled at her brother.

"Sure is miss... Your voice lulls me to sleep since I was this small," then he made a gap between his hands to demonstrate how small he was before. "You're an angel Eponine!"

"You, small sir, are dreamin',"

"Am not!"

Eponine laughed. For her, little Gavroche was her comfort. He made her smile, a genuine smile; she believed that he was a gift from heaven. Without him, could she ever adapt to changes so fast? Those times when she felt alone and unloved, a little hand that touches hers, then she'll see his face full of innocence. He loves to play, he always does. Caught in the teasing, the two siblings started chasing each other around the small cramped room until both of them lay exhausted on a thin mattress. Eponine slept in an instant. Gavroche soon followed her as he made himself comfortable by his sister's side.

**XXX**

Within months of moving into old Paris, the Thenardiers, starving and unemployed committed their life to a life of crime. M. Thenardier gathered around a small group of thieves and misfits. They named the group The Patron-Minette.

Eponine, being of age and wit, was being used by her father for benefit. Their business is stealing but stealing includes a lot of practices. Some steal by the night, with unknown faces of soot. Some steal by midday in the crowded streets unrecognized. However, in the acts of stealing, the most challenging of all is the work of a con.

For the monsieur, the beauty and talent of his own daughter did not go unrecognized; Eponine is soon exploited to fulfill his needs.

"Steal from a rich man in broad daylight, with your face exposed and your manner is false, rob him of anything he has, wealth is precious than a soul burning in hell." he told his daughter. "Why do we have to suffer, if we would all be damned in hell?"

At first, Eponine resisted, she did not want her father's insane ideas to get in the way of her living, but when her father threatened to employ Gavroche into his business, she started to give way.

"Gavroche, listen to me, never follow whatever father tells you to do, that's my job, do you understand?" Eponine told her brother another night, cuddled together under thin blankets, the rain is pouring heavily outside again, Gavroche shivers and his sister pulls him closer for warmth.

"I'm here 'vroche, an' always will be," Eponine whispers and kisses her brother goodnight. She then hums the rest of the night away until she sleeps, the world is slipping away and she'll be in a place she knows she is safe.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait… BTW, this chapter has a lot of characters… that I hope I got right. LOL, I don't want to say anything that might spoil the chapter… Please review, I tend to read your reviews so that I may know what I could do to improve, I know my writing isn't far stellar, but what the heck… I usually write in the train on the way to work… (True story)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LES MISERABLES**

**XXX**

**CHAPTER 6: A Day Of Many Days**

Eponine awoke with a start; somebody had kicked her at the side. She tried to open her eyes fast, but the spell of sleep deemed stronger than she thought. A gruff voice began to speak and she immediately recognized that it belonged to a man that she loathed.

"Get up ya lil brat! The day is dawning and there is so much to be done,"

The girl opened her eyes. The world is still dark, and the damp morning chill still hung in the air. She looked down to her brother's sleeping form beside her: _he looked so peaceful_, she thought, if only her parents could appreciate him. Her father had left and she is expected to meet them in a couple of minutes. She gazed at him for a while then kissed his forehead. "I'll be back 'vroche" she promised "wait for me, an' we'll play as promised."

When she met the group the infamous patron-minette that her father had organized, she realized that it was only a couple of hours after midnight. It was the time when criminals move out and do their business, these so called the creatures of the night.

The youngest of its members, Montparnasse, puts an arm around Eponine. The boy is three years her senior, his hair is black as midnight and his lips is red as cherries, but underneath his charming exterior, lies a man robbed of his youth. "My charming lil Eponine, a rare flower on a rocky soil devoid of life, how are you faring?"

Eponine untangled herself from his touch. "I am well monsieur, just like any other day before today. Thank you for your concern,"

The men laughed "How distant is this girl of yours, Jondrette. Still remaining an inner cold fire within her" remarked Babet, a tall thin man who is known for his wide variety of skills.

"She'll warm up alright," the head of the group said.

"Well you'd better hurry, 'Parnasse here is getting the itch for her," Claquesous said.

"Do whatever you want with her I don't care, except for givin' 'er a bastard, I still need to preserve the talent within her..."

The men once again laughed. Eponine looked down, trying to hide her face from the view. She knew exactly what they meant. A mix of shame and anger rushes over her. She curses under her breath, hoping that her father would know her hate but at the same time praying that she would never be caught with her thoughts.

**XXX**

She is always on the lookout, for she could see well at night. Sometimes, she is the one sent through small cracks because of her small frame. There are times when she would run with the stolen goods, since she is the most agile of them all. It all started from her father's little requests, then, as it turns out, his daughter, Eponine is the perfect employee for his business.

"I thought ya didn't like doing these things..." Gavroche told her one afternoon when they were at the streets.

"True, I didn't." Eponine answered back.

"Well, it's better than that man hurtin' ya"

"Well he says I'm getting better, last night they asked me to be on a look out, then, when things are done, they made me run with 'Parnasse, with us stolen goods." Eponine stopped for a moment, her bright hazel eyes looking up in the heavens. "I used to dream, dear 'vroche that I wouldn't live like this... Dear 'vroche, do you remember the stories I told you when we went to bed... About a girl and her doll and the dresses she wore? Yes they were true many years ago..."

"I remember" Gavroche looked at his sister "you are she in the story..." he paused "but don't worry, you are still beautiful to me..."

"Oh Gavroche you surprise me so! Have you got a fever?! You make me happy, y'know ya do!"

Gavroche beamed "I'm born with the flair, remember "charm" is my middle name,"

The two laughed and sang their way home. Let them play and be children even for awhile.

"'vroche, we must be home soon," Eponine looked up and saw the dark sky threatening to spill water. "I think there would be a little fall of rain..."

**XXX**

"Aaah! The rain is pouring hard again I see... If a man builds a ship for the flood, I might join him an' live." Brujon stated. It is true that too much rain had enveloped Paris these past few days.

"Fool!" Montparnasse laughed as he sharpened a knife to peel his apple "The bible says God would never send a flood that great,"

"Maybe sumthin' else perhaps, fire?" Claquesous mocked. "Didn't realize you could read such holy book,"

"If fire is the case, then it would be years away from now, by then we'd all be used to the fires of hell…" Montparnasse said.

"Whatever ya say pretty boy," Babet interjected to change the subject. "All I can say is that, in this weather of ours, is bad for business."

"Maybe it won't be," M. Thenardier said absent-mindedly.

"What is it that you think Jondrette? What scheme are you planning with that rotten brain of yours?"

"Eponine of course, that child is my prodigy," sneered the gang leader "I had experiences during the war before. Rich men by thousands I've met through the corpses I've robbed, all I need to do is to get Eponine write letters for solicitation..."

**XXX**

"EPONINE!" M. Thenardier roared but nobody answered him. He was at home, drunk and clearly out of his mind. He called for his daughter again, and still, no response. His patience wears thin as every second passes that he is ignored. He stomps his feet and throws a mild tantrum. Where could she be?

"Why so upset monsieur?" Mme. Thenardier emerged from their kitchen.

"Where is Eponine?"

"Why do you look for her?" His wife, puts her hands on her waist. Her face, once adored with flamboyant make-up is now bare with lines that indicate the downfall of their family.

"There is something I wanted her to do."

"She must be somewhere out with Gavroche"

"That brat! She should know very careful her place..."

"What is it that you want with her, aren't your friends enough?"

"Stop ya hiding her!" The man slapped his wife across the face. "I know you're keepin' her..."

"Never did I keep anything from you monsieur, you know." Mme. Thenardier told her husband. She is getting quite tired of the discussion since it happened almost every day, she put her hand on her stinging cheek. It happens every day.

After a few moments, laughter was heard towards their door. Eponine and Gavroche are singing their hearts out in the heavy downpour of rain. M. Thenardier could not stand it anymore; he went outside to see his children playing in the rain. The sight of Eponine enjoying herself was enough for the man to drag her inside the house and beat her.

"WHERE WERE YOU LITTLE BRAT?!" He said as he pulled his daughter by the hair and threw her across the room. "YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER YOUNG MISS TO NEVER LEAVE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!" with a thick piece of wood on his hand, Eponine received a multitude of blows on her body. The girl began to cry in pain. What has she done this time to deserve this?

With tears in her eyes and her face contorted in pain she pleaded her father to stop. It just hurts so much that no words could ever describe the pain that she felt. _Stop father, please, I beg you! What could I do this time? What is it that you want from me?_

"You worthless brat Eponine come closer!" her father said when the beating died down a little, and that the girl hid herself behind a thick wooden stool, her temporary sanctuary. "You shall come and know yer offense young miss, till ya know your own place!" M. Thenardier then took a bottle of hard liquor from the table and drank as much as he could, and when he was done, he tried to pull his daughter away from her hiding place.

Eponine clung tighter to her spot to prevent her father from beating her any further. But her father was a big hunk of a man and that nobody at home was a match for him. She looked towards the direction of her mother. Their eyes met, she was hoping that her mother could do something about it. The ray of hope was gone when her mother shifted her gaze on something else, completely ignoring her daughter's cries.

"MAMA!" Eponine cried in despair. She didn't want anything to hit her, a fist, a broom, a stick, or a belt. Mme. Thenardier looked at her daughter's crumpled form; Eponine is as good as a broken porcelain doll.

Gavroche stood horrified by the wall. He had witnessed his sister being abused on daily basis. It is too much for him to bear. His eye sight dimmed, and the figure that he once called father came into focus. The little boy then quickly went to his sister's aid and bit the man at his arm till it bled.

The monsieur howled in pain and then shifted his attention to his son. "Ya don't belong here ya little brat, you are no use here..." he let go his grip on the girl and carefully picked up a thick stick he used earlier on his daughter.

Eponine's hazel eyes were quick to recognize where this encounter is going and screamed. But it was too late, and the monsieur finally put a hand on his son. Gavroche yelped in pain on the impact, and Eponine's silent tears kept on flowing. Nobody's gonna harm him not while she's around. She received the next blow intended for her brother. "run Gavroche," she uttered feebly.

"Eponine..." Gavroche said he didn't mind the pain that stung his back, all he cared was for his sister to be well. He watched her face distort for a while, then she screamed in the top of her voice "RUN GAVROCHE! Run as far away as you can!"

As if on cue, the little boy sprung into his feet and did as he was told.

**XXX**

The rain continued to pour down heavily along the gloomy streets of Paris. A carriage made its way along the city's muddy streets. A young man just came home from a boarding school located in the outskirts of town. Today, he has made an important decision in his life, something that his grandfather wasn't pleased about.

"Reconsider your choices in life Marius, what you want isn't going to do our family any good." a man with graying hair said. The old man sat opposite his grandson. His face is white and wrinkled. His coat indicates that he was from wealth, and the way his hands rested on his cane, reflected that of an entrepreneur.

His grandson had handsome features of his own. His light chestnut hair complemented well with his deep blue eyes. He appears to be fairly tall for his age but still retains a beauty of an adventurous youth. He looks at his grandfather with utter defiance.

"I wanted to help the poor," he said in a low but determined voice.

The old man huffed and puffed "you'll get nowhere my boy."

Just when a silent tension took over both men, their carriage suddenly halted in a violently. The horses screamed in fright, and so did the coach man.

"What happened Pierre?!" the old man demanded.

"M-Monsieur!" the coach man cried "s-somebody crossed the street suddenly! I-I'm afraid that t-the... The horses h-had s-stomped -er t-to d-d-death!"

The rain began to pour hard once again. The coach man started to panic, but young Marius stepped out of the pouring rain to assess the situation much to his old man's protest.

Beneath the horse's deadly hooves lay a thin frail girl. Her skin is covered with dirt, bruises and blood. Her hair is matted with mud and covered most of her face. The boy was quick to see the girl breathe but with difficulty. He knelt down to pick her up. He shook her slightly to wake her. It took for while for the girl to open her eyes. Deep blue eyes stared into bright hazel ones.

"Are you alright?" The boy asked gently.

"M-Monsieur," the girl said slowly "h-h-have you s-s-een my b-broth-er?"

"You need help mademoiselle, you could look for your brother when you are well."

"I-Is that so?" her bright hazel eyes shifted towards the sky as if half dreaming, half awake "My Lord, h-he m-must be a-afraid all alone..." hr breathing had become labored "Monsieur, I-I j-just escaped… I need… I need to…" the girl wasn't able to finish, Eponine's world had turn black.

**XXX**

"What has gone into your head boy?" the grandfather scolded his grandson "You don't know her, yet you even bothered to bring her to the hospital!"

"Grandfather she is hurt!"

"But what if it is part of a well played scam? You could have been robbed, Marius! Do you realize the danger in those streets? The world isn't a safe place... You must understand that most of your life you have been sheltered, thus you trust people more. Do you hear me Marius?"

"But even so grandfather, that isn't a good excuse to turn a blind eye on someone in need!" the young man stood up and walked to the door. "I'm sorry grandfather, but I could not understand you."

When his grandson left, old Pontmercy let out a sigh "You would learn Marius, you would learn."

**XXX**

"What do you mean she left?" Marius asked the nurse of the ward which he left her.

"Monsieur, the girl could not be restrained, she kept on crying about her lost brother, when she had her chance monsieur… she broke her restraints and ran... Most of the patients here are terrified of her..."

"But, how was she? Is she treated?"

"She had a few sprains on her, muscle soreness and wounds, it was a miracle that she still had so much energy within her just to find for her brother, she tried to find for him as if he was her lifeline..."

Marius let out a sigh. Maybe trailing the girl was hopeless. She is now gone into some unknown street in Paris searching for her brother. Unknown to Marius and to everyone, Eponine had found Gavroche in a hollow of an unfinished elephant sculpture, _no wonder why he chose this place, it looked like a carnival in a boy's imagination_, Eponine thought, and when she saw him she smiled and collapsed, exhaustion finally taking over her body. When her brother came to her side, she told him "I found ya 'vroche, thank God you're alright!"

"Eponine, you're hurt..." Gavroche could not help himself and started to cry.

"Silly 'vroche, somebody helped me, an angel with blue eyes…" Eponine said and pulled her brother into a hug "Don't you ever go to that house again... I couldn't risk father beat you again. Stay away from 'im... Do you understand 'vroche?"

The little boy nodded yet continued to sob. "Will ya stay with me 'ponine? Will ya stay and cuddle me to sleep, I want to hear yer voice, it's beautiful..."

"Hush now 'vroche, I can sing but not now my brother,"

_Not now_.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I have a lot of mixed feelings for this chapter. It shows a glimpse of underground society in lil Eponine's word. She's still a kid, but her circumstances force her to grow up and take care of her little brother. At the same time, she is facing her own growth, a transition from her childhood to her adulthood. Just read on… hahaha xD**

**Sorry that there is no romance part yet. I just wanted to build up her character, as well as the other people who surround her colorful life. And Ta-da! I have an original charcter introduced here, hope you'll love her!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LES MISERABLES**

**XXX**

**CHAPTER 7: Beggars, Rats and Vermin**

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. For three months, none of the Thenardier children were seen by the Gorbeau tenement. Montparnasse walked slowly thru and from the cobbled streets in front of the house, he was given an assignment by the head of the group to "find the girl and bring her back,"

Just a few days ago, he saw her, pick-pocketing her way to survive... _The girl of the streets?_ More like a wild flower in a meadow full of weeds.

A few days ago wasn't the first time he saw her. He even saw her weeks before and even a month before that. Even the day he was given the assignment, why didn't he bring her back to her father?

Truth be told, he found a small delight watching the girl go through and about every day. It must be selfish of him, he thought, that he took the liberties seeing her himself.

He puts a hand on his left cheek; savoring the sting he once felt from her hand because the first time he saw her, he tried to bring her back, she resisted violently that caused her to slap him across the face. A thin smile now rests upon it, a memory he cherishes.

**XXX**

Eponine had no intention of going back; she would rather live in the streets with her brother than go back to a criminal life with her father. She and her brother moved frequently from one place to another until they could not be traced. This time, she has a place in mind.

"Where are we going to stay now 'ponine?" a half sleepy Gavroche asked his older sister. It is about midnight, and the streets are perfect for moving. Eponine's eyes are well adjusted in the dark; for she could see things better in the dark than anyone with an untrained eye. With Gavroche sleeping at her back, she made her way to a friend's house near the docks.

"Eponine!" A lady with fiery red hair greeted her "I'm so glad to see you,"

Eponine smiled "Nanci! It's a good thing we made it here safe,"

"And who is this on your back? Aaah... he sleeps so soundly."

"I bet you haven't met my brother, Gavroche... He's a nice lil fellow." Eponine grinned showing her deep dimples.

The lady smiled "he's quite a charmer even when he sleeps! You are just in time dearie; my girls and I are going to start our work soon, why won't you two stay in my room till morning? I'll be home by then."

"That's very generous of you Nanci, my brother and I have nothing to repay you... You are such a saint,"

"Dearie, I am no grander than the rest of us. However it is a pleasure to help, if you didn't save me a day ago, who knows what would have happened to me? You came to the right place, come in, come in, and make yourselves comfortable."

When Eponine and her brother entered, they were greeted by mixed perfumes that are enough to entice a man's senses. The women wore assorted hair pieces, colorful fabrics and faces. Nanci is one of them. Nanci's bright red hair matched her blood red dress which seams are covered in sequins. Her lips and cheeks are painted the same color too. In comparison to other ladies, Nanci's gown wasn't revealing at the top, the girls said that she did not have to. For Nanci's face alone is enough to get patrons in the night.

Nanci showed Eponine and Gavroche her room; she says that they could both stay there till she arrives in the morning. Eponine thanks her and then Nanci and the other girls left for their jobs.

**XXX**

Eponine watched her brother's chest rise and fall. His sleep was so deep; it was evident that he found Nanci's bed comfortable. However, Eponine could not sleep. She felt something rather unsettling in the pit of her stomach which she couldn't find comfortable. Was she afraid? Was she worried? A few weeks before she had an encounter with Montparnasse, he tried to bring her home but she struggled which resulted her to slap him across the face and escape. However, she got away from him too easy; she knows that Montparnasse wouldn't let his prey go easily. For sure, the day would come that he would capture her and bring her back... No! She won't be coming back and neither will Gavroche. Life has taken so much from her, then why can't she play by her rules? Well maybe... Maybe...

She inhaled and exhaled, the unsettling feeling is getting worse. She got more anxious that she slipped out of the bed and went to the privy. In there, she is greeted by dark red liquid oozing out of her private parts... Was she hurt? There wasn't a wound... How?

Eponine felt dirty and lost, that she tried to clean herself and stop the bleeding, but every time, the rag would just get soaked with more blood. When Nanci arrived in the morning, she saw Eponine curl herself by the floor. Why would the girl sleep by the floor when there is clearly a bed?

"Eponine..." the older girl tried to wake her on the floor.

Eponine looked at the woman with tears on her eyes "Nanci, I think I'm dying!"

**XXX**

Nanci gave a laugh at the younger girl's story.

Eponine's face gave a deep scarlet color when she suddenly realized what everything meant. Of course she had been terrified; nobody had told her that it was bound to happen, not even her mother.

"It comes every month, but don't worry, it'll last for a few days..." Nanci explained.

"Oh..." Eponine sighed in relief "I was pretty much sure I was dying. Never have I seen blood so many coming out of me... I slept in the floor for I feared I might dirty anything I touch..."

"Believe me; it is not bad as it was... You say you're thirteen? Well to tell you the truth, it is quite late... I had mine when I was eleven,"

The two girls began to giggle.

"You can stay here Eponine; you can earn a livin' and stay... You are now a lady, what can you say?"

"Do you mean, I could join you in your work?"

"Heavens no, you silly girl!" Nanci exclaimed "What I meant is that... How do I put this...? I work in a tavern at night, just a few blocks away from here. My job is to entertain customers privately... But what is a tavern if there is no music? Surely you can sing my dear, I heard you sing to your brother sometime before and your voice is absolutely wonderful. Don't worry, as long as I am there, nobody is gonna harm you..."

Eponine blushed again "But... But I... I have never sung for anybody save for Gavroche... How could I ever sing for an audience?"

"You can do it, trust me..." Nanci said as she took Eponine's hand and clasped it with hers "Or better yet, trust in you."

**XXX**

Eponine was bound to start her work two days from today. Nanci had already talked to the tavern's manager and he readily agreed if it made more customers. The other ladies, of course were also delighted that the girl would sing for them as well.

"You'll be a star 'ponine," Gavroche grinned "When will ya start?"

"Tomorrow night," his sister answered "My heart thumps wildly dear brother... I fear that they may not like it..."

"If they won't then they've gone nuts!" Gavroche protested "It's a good thing we met that Nanci lady... She's real nice like ya and because of her we have a soft bed and a roof up our heads, she even gave you a job!"

"The heavens are smiling our way dear Gavroche! We'll start anew, without father or mama... They don't care for us, they never will!" Eponine's expression turned dark. "...well they did care for me once a long time ago..."

Gavroche then watched his sister sob softly.

**XXX**

When he wasn't busy, the young lad would indulge himself in the world of gambling and sin of flesh. His favorite place was in a certain restaurant that was once a shipwreck. The prices were incredibly cheap and the ambiance was good. The strong odor of sea water infused within thick wood was appealing to him. He knew most of the crew here for he was a regular customer. The wine is great, the food is great and the underground trade is perfect. This was Montparnasse' version of heaven, _le épave de navire_.

The boy had lost track of his prey a week ago and Jondrette was getting rather sore that his daughter had escaped and managed to hide in her state. How could she move freely under his nose? Nobody knew but the charming 'parnasse. He decided she was his and his to keep, a guilty pleasure he took when he saw her: hazel eyes bright like flame and her red brown curls enveloping his skin, a vision of a little girl turning to lady. Lying in the white thin sheets...

He was on his bed tonight, but he wasn't alone. Somebody had rested her head on his chest. The wild rose of the moonlit sea, his favorite by far when it comes to his release. Nanci stirred in her sleep and looked directly at her client. He seemed to be in deep thought, what could have been troubling him?

"Such in deep thought monsieur, why is that?"

"I have been thinking my Nanci..." he said as he kissed her forehead

"Please don't tell me it is a girl, I'll hate it when you leave me for her..."

"It's not about any other girl;" the boy lied "I've been rather thinking of the job I had... And if it was worthy... "

"Sssh... Love," Nanci said in a soothing voice "Why do you stress yourself much? To me you are Robin Hood who robs the rich and gave them to the poor." she gently caressed his face, her favorite client, the boy whose age is same to hers, yet whose wit was far beyond her own. She smiled at him sweetly as put himself atop her, kissing her favorite places. But unknown to her, he was thinking of somebody else.

Nanci hated it when he is to leave for the morning; the clanging of a few coins on the table reminded her of her worth. If only she could see him again, if only she could summon him in her own will... If only he could be hers...

"Shall you come tonight and meet me by the tavern?" The red haired beauty asked him, desperation was in her voice even if she tried to hide it. "We have a new talent and she can sing well, you must watch her and your worries would come away..." _And I wanted to see you;_ she wanted to add but decided not to.

"Not tonight, I'm afraid..." He answered and leaned down to kiss her tenderly once more "I shall miss you love..."

When he was done, he took his hat and coat, leaving her as she stared longingly at him.

**XXX**

Eponine watched herself at the mirror as Nanci combed through her stubborn curls. The younger girl watched in awe the change in her appearance. Most of her wounds and bruises had healed; Nanci and the other girls bathed her and provided her a nice dress for her debut. Nanci watched how the girl admired herself for the first time; she watched her hazel eyes dance in admiration of a beauty she never knew existed. A new idea of self appreciation sprung up in the girl's mind. Nanci gave a deep sigh which did not go unnoticed by the younger girl.

"You look beautiful Eponine, if only you could dress like this once in a while..."

"You're not in your spirits today Nanci, something is bothering you..." Eponine turned to look into Nanci's gray eyes.

"It's nothing dearie, I'm just thinking about something, don't worry about it, it is just me..." she gave a pause and continued to brush the other girl's red brown curls. "Just sing tonight, believe me, you'll attract a lot of customers tonight."

**XXX**

Nanci was right. Due to the holidays, a lot of men were present that night and Gavroche who wasn't supposed to be there was there. What a brave fellow this little Gavroche! Amidst the smoke and muscles of men bigger than him, there he stood tall watching his sister.

Eponine's voice had been smooth as she sung the songs she sang to him. He would remember those times that he felt content and loved, for him, his parents never existed. His sister was his world and he needed her. There was applause, and in the end, a lot tips by the jar, everyone was pleased.

"Look how many sous you got 'ponine!" Gavroche exclaimed as they counted what was earned.

"This feels better than stealing dear brother!" His sister exclaimed.

"What to do with it?"

The next thing Gavroche knew was that when he awoke one morning after a few days, a small pastry was served for him; it was a cupcake with sprinkles on top. He tasted it slowly, savoring its taste. It is sweet, the best thing he had ever eaten.

"Do you like it?" He heard his sister say, she just entered the room and saw him take a bite from the sweet pastry. Gavroche nodded at his sister in response.

"I hope ya like my gift for ya... Today is a special day y'know."

_Special?_ The little boy thought.

"Your birthday silly!" Eponine said as she smiled. Gavroche smiled too, showing his dimples that mirrored his sister's.

"I'm five today 'ponine!" the little boy exclaimed. He stood up and jumped across the room. "I'll get taller and protect ya miss..." then he hummed "I'll do anything for you,"

When Nanci entered the room, she found the two siblings dancing. "What a sight!" she laughed.

"Come on miss, you can join us," Gavroche invited the new comer.

"Oh no! No! I've got two left feet," she reclined. There was a knock on the door when she finished, another girl came in with a letter which she handed to Nanci. Nanci, upon seeing the letter "**M**" written on it, immediately squealed in delight.

Eponine watched as she quickly read the letter with such gusto, imprinting every word in her mind over and over again. When Nanci regained composure again, she smiled at Eponine.

"Eponine, sing your best song tonight, my guest whom I haven't seen for a week is coming, please dear 'ponine, mind that he is special to me..."

**XXX**

Eponine surveyed the room: the house is full that night; people had been merrymaking their way through the end of the holidays. The more tips the better, and maybe perhaps, a bonus from the manager? Who knows? The girl mused in her head. If her luck is changing, then maybe this is it. She looked for her brother in the crowd, and then winked when they looked each other in the eye. She received a grin in reply, his dimples deeper as ever. She cleared her throat and began to sing a French ballad.

_Eyes that gaze into mine,_

_A smile that is lost on his lips—_

Nanci had requested the song. When she looked into her gray eyes amongst the crowd, she could have sworn she saw tears forming in them

_When he takes me in his arms_

_And speaks softly to me,_

_I see life in rosy hues._

_He tells me words of love,_

Her eyes scanned among lovesick faces of people smitten by her voice, her curiosity of who "**M**" was finally dawned at her. A handsome young man made his way towards Nanci; he puts an arm around her and kisses her cheek. He seemed to apologize for his tardiness but the girl readily forgave him. When his dark eyes looked on stage and locked eyes with her own, Eponine struggled in her lyrics...

_In endless nights of love,_

_A great delight that comes about,_

_The pains and bothers are banished,_

_Happy, happy to die of love._

Notes are collapsing every second as she felt her heart beat faster in terror. She wanted to disappear now, but she can't. Maybe later, she thought to herself over and over. She tried to get over her fear, her notes starting to show confidence, her emotions reflected in her voice.

_Now I can feel within me_

_My heart that beats._

Applause was heard at the end, the tips came in bigger amounts than before. The young girl smiled at her audience and exited the stage. She tried to find for her brother quickly in the crowd and chided him to come with her.

"'Ponine, where are we goin'?" her little brother asked as she pulled his wrists roughly.

"Hush now dear brother! Can't you see? He is 'ere! The charmin' devil from our father's group... The one who almost got me the other day hadn't I hurt him to get away! He won't forget an injury dear brother, he is not gonna let this go... I pray we'll not be caught, cause the end is near if we do!"

The two children ran in the streets that night, Eponine hid her hard earned money in the deepest part of their clothes. No doubt 'parnasse would catch up with them, no doubt he'll tell her father of her whereabouts. If she could outsmart him, outrun him, outplay him in this game of hide and seek, she and her brother would be safe for a while and live another day or week or month depending on their luck.

What Eponine didn't know was that Montparnasse was already a step ahead of her. He had calculated her actions and had the members of the Patron-Minette assembled throughout the dark alleyways. The young lad had stressed himself greatly when the girl went out of his sight a few days ago. He then swore to himself that she wouldn't get away when he saw her the next time. 'parnasse got his information when he went to get himself a drink at _le épave de navire_. One mentioned about a girl with red brown curls and bright hazel eyes singing like a nightingale at night. It got his attention of course, because he desperately wanted to see her. This time, he thought, she wouldn't be getting away.

With Gavroche's wrist on her hand, Eponine hid him behind her as she looked upon the familiar faces of her captors: Patron-Minette. The gang closed her to a dead end. With masks on their faces and torches on their hands, they looked like Phantoms of the past she that wanted to forget.

Claquesous stepped forward, removed his mask and grinned:

"We missed you Eponine, welcome home."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: My apologies, however, this would be my last chapter for this story, my train of thought for this story is so long that I have to make short stops... I'm writing a new story which starts with Marius, maybe I'll just make this story as my prologue, though, there are some things that i would like to change a bit. Hope I could be forgiven.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LES MISERABLES**

**XXX**

**CHAPTER 8: THE GENTLEMAN AND THE URCHIN**

Gavroche stared at the evening sky alone. Sometime ago, he had a sister who would accompany him everywhere she went but now, she is gone. His father has taken her away from him.

How many times had he longed for her? Her warm embraces and tickles? He missed her laugh and her words... He missed her songs. He tried not to cry, this little boy of six years, he tried not to.

Little flecks of snow fell down from the night sky like cold dust. When he felt the chill, he decided it is time to move on. But where? The streets are cold tonight and he hasn't eaten.

He wrapped an over sized coat around himself to keep warm. He hummed himself a familiar tune to pass time when an elderly gentleman sat beside him in a bench on the empty park of Paris.

"Don't you think you should be home?" he asked the little boy who sat beside him.

"I ain't got a home monsieur, I ain't welcome, my father beat me an' threw me away, mother won't care... My sister told me to stay away... _'Take care'_, she said, but how can I do that when I know she's at home sufferin',"

"That's quite an answer young lad, especially from a boy who is as young as you," the gentleman replied.

"How about ya monsieur? Have you got a home?" the little boy asked.

The gentleman nodded. "But you see, I live far away, and my carriage broke. I guess I have to wait till morning. My daughter, she wouldn't be pleased to know the delay of my journey," He gave a meaningful pause before proceeding again "Do you perhaps like something warm in the night?"

**XXX**

_The night of Eponine's last performance, she and her brother were "brought home" by their father's gang. Gavroche had been terrified, but upon seeing his sister's face full of anger and sadness, made him feel otherwise. A short walk to their flat seemed like the longest road for the little boy, he dreaded the moment he and his sister have to meet with their father._

_M. Thenardier, now known as Jondrette, gave a sadistic grin when he saw his children brought to him._

_"Keep an eye on the boy," he told his companions as he put down a used, worn pipe from his mouth. "I think, I'll have a talk with my daughter, "_

...

The gentleman had taken the little boy for a little something hot to eat. He watched the little boy licked his plate clean, not a sauce or crumb left. "You must be hungry young lad, you could have another serving if you like," the gentleman offered with a smile.

"I would like to refuse but can't monsieur, if it is possible to have another helpin' then I'd be forever grateful..." Gavroche answered.

"It is not right to deny someone of food," the gentleman replied as he ordered another helping of soup and bread. "I experienced hunger myself, once I did something wrong because my sister's child was close to death and we are starving..."

"What did ya do monsieur?" the little boy asked, but the gentleman just shook his head and gave a long sigh.

"It's a long story dear lad, a story I would like to forget... Tell me lad, what happened to your sister after you were caught by your... Your..."

"Father," the boy corrected.

"Ah yes, yes..." the gentleman said "you kids have it rough,"

"To be frank monsieur, I did not know what happened next, they knocked me out till all I could see was darkness, an' the last thing I heard was my sister shoutin' my name... Then when I awoke, I was in the cold streets,"

...

_Gavroche ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, the pain on his lower nape didn't hinder him or maybe the pain in his arms or legs. All he wanted was to see his sister and so he ran his way through the familiar streets that lead him to the Gorbeau house. Emotions that could never describe flooded his thoughts. His sister, his sweet sister, he wanted to see her again. He wanted to hug her, he wanted to play with her, and he wanted to make sure that she was alright. Was she?_

_"PONINE!" he banged the wooden door with his little fists "PONINE COME OUT!"_

_The door opened but it wasn't 'ponine who answered, instead Mme. Thenardier was the one who opened the door. "What are ya doin' here you brat?"_

_"I want to see my sister!" the boy demanded then paused for a while before he blurted out "I wanted to see my sister who has been more of a mother to me than my real mother!"_

_The Madame's eyes grew wide, and without a moment's thought, slapped the boy hard in the face. "Such words...!" she hissed "A devil's child, no manners of all about!"_

_"Let me see Ponine!"_

_"Hush boy! You of little worth, your sister is not here! She's with her father doin' business!" The woman told him._

_The boy did not respond for awhile, he uttered words of disbelief, refusing to believe that his sister is working again with the pattron-minette. Once, if he heard it right, during their times in the streets, he heard Ponine swore to herself that she would never be a part of the pattron-minette. How can she work for their father?_

_"You lie..." the boy muttered under his breath like a curse."Ya'r a liar! Ya big old ugly hag!"_

_"SCRAM!" the Madame screamed at her son "You never belonged here ya urchin! Scram and never show yer face again!" then she slammed the door at his face._

...

"Did you meet with your sister?" the gentleman asked Gavroche who is now on his third helping. Such a small boy with a big appetite, he thought as he watched the boy nod in response.

"But it took me around a day or two before I saw 'er;" he replied "I just waited in the shadows, like I always do... I just left when I needed to eat or pee,"

The gentleman remained silent and urged the little boy to continue with his story. He signaled a waiter in order to pay the bill. He asked the young boy if he would like to take a walk in the park.

When they were done, a little stroll and fresh air did them good. Gavroche continued his story.

...

_"'Ponine!" Gavroche almost yelled when he saw his sister pass by. But she did not look at him albeit acknowledge him. She seemed like a complete stranger to him. Her eyes were like of a dead lady, her pale skin covered in familiar hues, and her movements seemed controlled by anyone but her. She looked like a corpse brought back to life by witches. She is together with someone, the man with dark hair and dark cherry lips. Montparnasse caresses her face and body but the girl doesn't respond, leaving the boy to do anything he wishes on her young mutilated body._

_The encounter was brief as someone caught the young man's attention. He then left the girl on her spot in the middle dark brick pavements and muddy puddles of water. Light rain poured and the girl looked up in the heavens, as if washing her sins away._

_"Ponine...?" Gavroche made his way towards her. When he reached her, he took her hand and shook it gently._

_"Don't look at me 'vroche! your sister is here no more." she said in a loud voice as she pushed her brother away from her. Her tone was mournful, sad, defeated and lost. What could have happened? What could have happen for her to be like this? He remained silent as he heard his sister talk "I am corrupted... and broken!" She managed to spill out between her tears that mixes with rage and despair. "I'm dirty! And filthy! What more do they want? Was it talent? Was it beauty? Was it lust? Was it anger? 'spose I bring my own destruction?! How many more beatings, how many more shame? Has my God in heaven forgotten me?" she shouted cursing the heavens then broke down into a heart stopping sob. "Dear 'vroche, dear 'vroche, your sister is here no more... You're a young man now, I know you can fend for yourself, do what you want, do what makes you happy..." then her hazel eyes gazed into his own "just do me a favor," she said as she took his small shoulders "do not ever walk this path. Father... No! Don't even call him father, that demon can never be! Listen to me sweet brother. You are not to stay here, do what you must, and survive and live, your sister is here no longer to protect you all the time, and my father would haunt you when he sees you, never cross paths with him. Be safe, be well, and take care Gavroche!" then she pulled him in a tight hug. Gavroche could feel tears rushing down her cheeks._

_When she released him, he realized he was crying too "what about you 'ponine? Why live with a monster? Why not come with me?"_

_Eponine shook her head and simply told him this "Nothing is gonna harm you, not while I'm around,"_

_After a period of silence, the little boy tried to stop his tears and prove that he is a grown man. "I'll do anything, everything for ya 'ponine."_

...

The gentleman was silent for awhile, this time; the two of them were sitting on the bench overlooking a fountain. They were silent for awhile until he broke the silence. "You are a brave lad, and your sister, braver. Both of you have been through so much..."

"Ever since then monsieur, I haven't seen her, only glimpses of her, a part of me fears that she is now a different person now, her demons held her captive, I just pray that one day she could be out of her own prison cell... And I miss her so much."

"How long have you not seen her?"

"I've lost count monsieur, but I assure ya t'was a long time ago. I've created my life 'ere in the streets, I've met children like me with no homes, we are abandoned in ways more than one, in truth they are my family now. We all stay in the hollow of the unfinished elephant in the square. Just a couple of months ago, we had two new members, twin boys ya see, aged three or four, thrown out by their parents to live in the streets."

The gentleman nodded in amazement "Clever," he remarked "And I supposed that you are the leader of your group?"

"Boy sure yer right monsieur!" the little boy with sandy blonde hair grinned exposing a few missing teeth, due to baby teeth falling off, and his deep dimples on his cheeks.

What a handsome boy, the gentleman thought, for some reason he felt attached to him like he saw the same spirit he had when he was younger.

"The day is coming near dear lad, and I was wondering if you would want to come with me? If you come with me, you can study and be away from this pain, be my son and I'll never hurt you. Meet my daughter, she is a nice girl and would be able to care for you,"

A glint in the young boy's eyes showed a hint of interest, but in the end of his contemplation, he shook his head. "That's way too much monsieur, but I can't. I maybe a young lad now and a lot of kids depend on me, I can't leave them. And my sister, I can't leave her suffering alone, I might consider your offer m'seir if you could adopt my sister too."

"As much as I would like to, but dear lad, I could only take one. I am a fugitive, due to events hard to describe. I'm sorry I could not attract too much attention,"

"I understand m'seiur, still, I could not accept yer offer,"

**XXX**

Gavroche made his way alone in the nearly dawning streets of Paris. When he reached the hollow of the elephant, an army of children like him greeted him as he entered. He was about to make his way to his bed, when a little girl came up to him holding a box.

"Somebody left it for ya Gavroche," she began. Her bright blue eyes fluttered softly away from him.

"Who?" the boy asked her.

"A pretty lady with red-brown curls, she told me to tell you to take care." then she gave a shy pause "Happy birthday Gavroche!" then she gave him a small kiss in the cheek then ran away.

Girls are weird. Gavroche finally concluded. He took the box with him and examined it. He lifted the lid. It was usual for his sister to always remember him. Years had passed since she gave him his first cupcake, but she never failed sending him once a year. As he expected, he saw a little sweet tasting pastry rested at the center of the box.

"Oh Ponine!"he sighed and took a bite. "I'm finally seven today."


End file.
